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Thursday, August 7, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history. - Aldous Huxley
Les Woodland's book Tour of Flanders: The Inside Story - The rocky roads of the Ronde van Vlaanderen is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- August 4 - 10: Tour of Poland
- August 5 - 9: Vuelta a Burgos
- August 6 - 8: Tour de l'Ain
- August 7 - 10: Arctic Race of Norway
Upcoming racing:
- August 12 - 16: Tour of Denmark
- August 17: Hamburg Cyclassics
Latest completed racing:
- August 3: Circuito de Getxo
- August 2: San Sebastian Classic
- July 26 - July 30: Tour de Wallonie
- July 27: Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
- July 5 - 27: Tour de France
- June 21 - 29: Most national road championships
- June 24: Giro dell'Appennino
- June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
- June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
We posted the report from stage winner Ben Turner's Team INEOS Grenadiers with the results.
Here's the report from third-place Andrea Bagioli's Team Lidl-Trek:
Our Italian takes a podium place in a neutralized final to stage 3 at Tour de Pologne
What looked set to be a straightforward 159km stage around the roads of Walbrzych unfortunately took a turn after a nasty crash 22km from the finish.
The crash, which involved Mathias Vacek and the race leader (Lapeira), caused the race to be neutralized for over 15 minutes before racing got underway again. Mathias sadly had to leave the race and get a once over in the hospital after receiving a cut to his lip that needed stitches.
Tom Donnenwirth wins the third stage.
It was decided that the race would continue to the finish line but the general classification times would be neutralized. In the fast run to the line, Jacopo Mosca covered the moves that threatened to go to the line in a bid to set Andrea Bagioli up for the sprint. Andrea crossed the line in third behind Bilbao and race winner, Ben Turner.
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Here's the Tour of Poland report from Arjen Livyns' Team Lotto:
Arjen Livyns put in a strong performance to finish fifth in the third and also most difficult stage of the Tour of Poland. The stage was temporarily neutralized 20 kilometers from the finish due to a crash- in which Livyns was also involved. 'But luckily, the good feeling is starting to come,' says Livyns."
The third stage of the Tour of Poland, starting and finishing in Wałbrzych, was once again marked by a crash. In a descent 20 kilometers from the finish, about fifteen riders went down. Due to a shortage of ambulances, the race was briefly neutralized. “I was involved myself,” says Arjen Livyns. “For the third time already. On the first day I was hit on my left side, today on my right. Luckily I’m okay.”
Arjen Livyns about to start a time trial ealier this year.
“We were ahead with about thirty riders, but after the neutralization a chasing group of thirty caught up, and today’s stage eventually still ended in a sprint,” he explains. “Unexpectedly, because this was one of the toughest stages of the week with the most elevation gain.” Livyns ultimately finished fifth and is satisfied. “I just came back from altitude training in Livigno, and after such a training block it’s always a bit of a search for the good feeling. It wasn’t there yesterday, but today it’s starting to come. So I’m curious about the coming days. Tomorrow we hope to sprint with Elia (Viviani, ed.), and the day after tomorrow will be another stage like today.”
And here's the Tour of Poland report from Pepijn Reinderink's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Pepijn Reinderink had an impressive ride on the third stage of the World Tour race, joining the early breakaway that formed just a couple of kilometers into the day and being extremely active there the entire time. Around 40 kilometers from the finish, the 23-year-old attacked and forced a selection as he continued to push the pedal to the metal, which helped him remain off the front until the last hour of the race, when the peloton caught him. Moments later, the organisers decided to stop the race after a crash in the bunch and neutralize the GC times before resuming it with 15 kilometers to go.
The riders still at the front went first, 40 seconds ahead of the group, but they were caught by the chasers in the last two kilometers. The peloton fragmented on the wide roads of Wałbrzych, leaving a small group containing both Pepijn and T-Rex Quick-Step teammate Andrea Raccagni at the front. Those who had missed the split came back and the stage culminated in a reduced bunch sprint won by Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers), while Reinderink came home seventh, a remarkable result considering the 125 kilometers he had spent in the breakaway, where he put in a huge effort.
Pepijn Reinderink at the Tour of Guangxi in 2024
“I’m a bit disappointed, because I felt good today, and at one point, I began thinking there was a chance for us to make it. But then I got caught by the peloton and it was in the final kilometers that I had another chance, when the group split for a few seconds, only for it to come together again. I finished in the top ten, but I feel more was possible on this stage”, Pepijn said at the finish.
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We posted the report from stage winner Matteo Moschetti's Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team with the results.
Here's the report from UAE Team Emirates-XRG:
Wednesday afternoon brought a third-place finish for Sebastián Molano in stage 2 of the Vuelta a Burgos, with Jan Christen following up with a fourth-place finish for UAE Team Emirates-XRG in stage 3 of the Tour de Pologne. Christen’s result, however, came on a day marred by a big crash within the final 20km.
Matteo Moschetti wins stage two of the Vuelta a Burgos. Third-place Sebastian Molano is on the far right. Photo: Sprint Cycling
Owing to the need to get ambulances towards the front of proceedings, the stage was briefly neutralised, with time gaps not counted towards the general classification. As a result, only the stage honours were up for grabs in the old mining city of Wałbrzych.
Christen gave it a good go and punched his ticket for the raffle, but the young Swiss rider was ultimately swamped by those who had returned to the peloton following the neutralisation. Although the peloton had dwindled down to around 20 riders as the race came to its crucial moments, the group swelled back to its usual size after the neutralisation, making the eventual sprint hotly contested.
As Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers) picked up the day’s top prize, Christen made his way up to third place in the general classification, owing to the unfortunate abandonment of Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek).
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Both Rafał Majka and Filippo Baroncini of UAE Team Emirates-XRG hit the deck in the crash, with Majka able to remount his bike and finish in the first group over the line. A full medical report will be distributed on the Emirati squad’s social media accounts on Wednesday evening.
Speaking after the finish, Christen’s thoughts were with those affected by the crash, as he saw his race disrupted by the neutralisation.
Christen: “I did not have the best legs all day, but then when we started the steep climbs I started to feel good and I saw that the other guys suffered a lot. I was pretty excited for the last steep kicker to try something there.
“But unfortunately, there was a crazy crash, and then we stopped the race. It is a bit of a pity because I had really good legs and I felt I could go into the yellow jersey today and take some seconds back, but I hope all the guys involved are ok and tomorrow we will go again.”
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